1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hand-held devices useful for respacing the racket strings of tennis rackets, racquetball rackets, and the like in the field. The present invention is particularly directed towards a portable tool to be used during breaks in play on the courts to realign the vertical and horizontal positioning of racket strings which have moved during game use. The classes and subclasses in general proximity to the present invention include 273/73A, 73B, 73D, 73R U.S. and Foreign Art. The present invention is a simplified and further development of the art.
2. Description of the Prior Art
What were considered the most pertinent prior art patents included the following: A. Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,156,092, issued Apr. 25, 1939, which shows a hand-held device useful to position strings while restringing a racquet. The Dec. 30, 1941, U.S. Pat. No. 2,268,276, granted to M. Caro et al also illustrating a device for restringing a racquet. Another stringing device is seen in British Patent No. 1,118,777, dated July 3, 1968, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,496, of Nov. 10, 1976, is a hand-held transverse stringer.
An interesting publication of prior art is a 1977 mail order catalogue page from "Stahls" of Roseville, Mich., shows a device as a "clamp holds strings in alignment," and a tennis racket string positioning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,272, dated Apr. 1, 1978, issued to J. P. Graver. Two foreign patents, DE No. 3135-521 (1983) and DE No. 3337-341-A (1984), show string aligner devices.
No past art examined seems adequately designed with adjustment capabilities to encompas vertical and horizontal racket string tuning on the string frames of both tennis and racquetball rackets.